


will you age with grace?

by cold_nights_summer_days



Series: Anchor [20]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Comfortember, Day nineteen, Gen, Graduation, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Memory Lane, Parent Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Uncle James "Rhodey" Rhodes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27638813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cold_nights_summer_days/pseuds/cold_nights_summer_days
Summary: day nineteen: memory lane - Peter's high school graduation---------title from oblivion by bastille
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Anchor [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996039
Comments: 5
Kudos: 101
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	will you age with grace?

**Author's Note:**

> hey what's up darlings? hope y'all are doing better than me, because I backed into the fricking trash can on my way out of the drive way tonight!

Tony Stark had never gotten the pleasure of meeting May and Ben Parker, but that day he wished more than ever that he had. Peter was graduating high school today – _graduating high school, oh my god_ – and Tony wished that they were there to see it. He knew that they’d be just as proud of Peter as he was.

“Are you ready to start crying yet?” Rhodey asked, leaning over to whisper so that they didn’t disturb the other parents around them.

“Maybe,” Tony answered. “And I know you have tissues in your pocket because you know that you’re going to cry, too. Don’t think that you’re sly.”

“Who says I’m going to cry? _Your_ kid is the one graduating today. Besides, I’m sure you’ll cry enough for the both of us.”

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Tony didn’t even bother trying to lie about it. He’d known for months that he was going to cry today.

A few minutes later, they finally started calling the last names that started with S. Rhodey joked that if Peter had kept his old name, they would have been done sooner. Tony laughed, grateful for the humor to break up the waiting. A mother next to him shushed him, presumably because her kid was walking, and he was being distracting.

He apologized to her and sent a light-hearted glare Rhodey’s way. Rhodey laughed even more, but he did a better job of doing it quietly. And then, after what felt like forever, they called Peter’s name. Peter hadn’t even made it onto the stage before they were both crying.

“You know, I always thought it was cliché that everyone cries at graduation in movies, but I think I actually get it now. It’s like the fact that he’s actually _grown up_ is finally hitting me,” Tony said while Peter took his diploma. It felt like just yesterday he’d run into Peter on the street, small and scared and seemingly helpless. It was just yesterday since he painted that room blue – like four times over – and Peter moved into it. It even felt like just yesterday that they signed the official papers in front of the judge and Peter Parker officially became Peter Stark.

Had it really been three years? Only three years? The circumstances sucked, and Tony wished that Peter never had to experience anything he did, but he wouldn’t trade those three years for anything. In that instance he lived up to what people often said was his biggest flaw: he was too selfish to do it.

It was almost difficult to believe they’d made it this far, honestly.

“I think this is the part where parents start to worry that their kid doesn’t need them anymore.”

“Of course Peter still needs you. Who else is going to rescue him when he gets stabbed in the middle of the night?”

“Don’t even say that because you’re going to manifest it,” Tony said, and Rhodey laughed even though he was crying.

“Manifest it? Did Peter teach you that?”

“Yes, he did. Now shut up so I can cry about my kid graduating high school in peace, please and thank you.”

Rhodey nodded. “My bad. When you’re done being an emotional wreck, let me know.”

“You’re going to be waiting an awful long time, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

**Author's Note:**

> this made me soft. I love Tony Stark so much.


End file.
